Welcome to Advanced Orange Ball 1 & 2 at Five Star Tennis! Tailored for advanced players aged 8-9, we focus on enhancing stroke mechanics, rallying ability, and providing valuable match play experience. Get ready for an elevated tennis journey with our expert coaches guiding you every step of the way!
Competencies – What we teach our players
Agility
- Maintain balance while moving side to side and forwards/backwards
- Multi-directional movement with efficiency
Balance
- Jump side-to-side and forward/backward with balance
- Hop on one leg over a line with balance
Coordination
- Two ball juggling with variations
- Catch a ball one-handed overhand with no bounce with right and left hand
- Catch a ball one-handed with palm down off of one bounce
Speed
- Run with arms coordinated, posture, and land on the balls of the feet
- High skips while maintaining running form
Ready Position/Recovery
- Athletic stance with wide base, knees bent, shoulders back, eyes forward, and on balls of feet
- Racquet above wrist with elbows away from body
- Recovery after shot behind the baseline near center
Serve
- Serve with a coordinated, balanced, and rhythmical action
- Use a continental grip
- Begin to control the serve to the T and wide positions with accuracy
Net-Game
- Use a continental grip and open face with minimal movement of the racquet
- Volley with correct footwork (from a stationary ready position) to various locations on the court
- Recognize a short ball and know when to move to the net
- Volley after moving forward and performing a split-step
- Able to hit an overhead from a coach feed
Groundstrokes
- Use topspin on both forehand and backhand during cooperative and competitive rallies
- Transition grip between forehand and backhand
- Be able to contact the ball in the strike zone o of varying depths and heights
- Use square and semi-open stances from appropriate positions on the court
- Rally 5-10 topspin shots consistently with a player of similar level
- Be able to hit to various locations of the court
Score
- Understand the main rules of the game (e.g. scoring, calling lines, regular/no-ad)
- Demonstrate where to stand when serving and returning
Engagement
- Listening to the coach
- Trying to execute the drill the correct way
Energy and Effort
- Run for every ball
- Maintain effort throughout the entire duration of the practice
Attitude
- Use of positive emotions
- Being positive in challenging situations